Whitesail Reach Woodland Caribou Habitat Restoration Project
The first phase of the Whitesail Reach Woodland Caribou Restoration Project will prepare site-specific prescriptions and a project plan to manage timber and woody debris along the shoreline of Whitesail Reach. The objective of these efforts will be to help restore critical migration routes for the Tweedsmuir-Entiakio Caribou (TEC) herd. TEC are part of the Northern Mountain population, designated as a species of Special Concern in Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and a blue-listed species by the BC Conservation Data Centre.
Whitesail Reach is part of the historical migration route for the TEC and contains critical calving islands for the herd. Currently, there is a considerable risk of abandonment of this migration route by the TEC in part due to large accumulations of large woody debris (LWD) which have created barriers to traditionally used calving and escape habitats. The loss of this critical calving area may impact calf survival and herd recovery. This collaborative project will create the approach and activities that will be undertaken by the project partners to manage woody debris within Whitesail Reach. Multiple sites within Whitesail Reach that have been selected as restoration candidates and operational activities are planned for the late summer between August and October 2019.
Reports
Whitesail Reach Caribou Calving Islands Rehabilitation, 2019
Maps
Click on the maps below to enlarge.
Tweedsmuir-Entiako Caribou Priority Restoration Areas Map
Whitesail Restoration Reaches Map
Whitesail Restoration Reach (north) Map
Whitesail
Project Photos
Wildlife Photos
Application Criteria
SERNbc uses three general criteria to select specific ecosystems for restoration activities, which include:
- Ecosystem vulnerability,
- Functional importance of the ecosystem, and
- Existing management mechanisms and/or programs.
Vulnerable, degraded and damaged ecosystems are a high priority for ER activities if they have high functional importance in terms of providing important ecological services. This functional importance or management priority increases when the ER needs of a subject ecosystem is not being addressed by existing programming.
Potential ER projects must align with SERNbc’s objectives as identified in our strategic plan. All ER projects undertaken by SERNbc need to be supported by data and analysis that describes their current state, desired future condition, management objectives, and treatment rationale.
